Category: FMCSA

The US Department of Transportation has issued a Regional Declaration of Emergency under 49 CFR 390.23. The Declaration is for 38 states and grants emergency relief from Parts 390 through 399 of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations with some restrictions, and includes the transportation of fuel products into and from the Affected States and jurisdictions.

That 130-page contained what Steven Bryan, president of software developer Vigillo, called a “laundry list” of issues concerning the statistical models within the CSA program’s safety measurement system (SMS) which are then used to craft motor carrier safety scores.

During a presentation at the 2017 American Trucking Associations (ATA) annual conference in Orlando, FL, this week, Bryan and Joe DeLorenzo, FMCSA’s director of the office of compliance and enforcement, explained that the agency is going to use a new analytical “tool” to help improve the CSA safety scoring system over the next two years – a tool called “item response theory” or IRT.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced Thursday that it will, at least for five years, allow drivers using mobile device-based ELDs (those run on a phone or tablet) to change duty status outside of and away from their vehicle. Such changes in duty status will need to be annotated, the agency says, but will be permitted under a waiver request granted to UPS by FMCSA.

The agency granted Thursday two waivers for all carriers related to the electronic logging device mandate. The other waiver allows carriers, at least for five years, to perform multiple yard moves without having to re-enter “yard move” on the device.

By execution of this Emergency Declaration, motor carriers and drivers providing direct assistance to the emergency in the States of Texas and Louisiana as a result of Tropical Storm Harvey are granted emergency relief from Parts 390 through 399 of Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations except as restricted herein.

This Emergency Declaration provides for regulator relief for commercial motor vehicle operations while providing direct assistance supporting emergency relief efforts transporting supplies, equipment and persons into or from the States of Texas and Louisiana or providing other assistance in the form of emergency services during the emergency resulting Tropical Storm Harvey in the States of Texas and Louisiana.

This declaration terminates when a driver or commercial motor vehicle is used in interstate commerce to transport cargo or provide services not directly supporting the emergency relief effort.

This declaration is effective immediately and shall remain in effect for the duration of the emergency or until 11:59 pm (ET), September 24, 2017, whichever is less.

Further updates to this declaration can be found on the FMCSA website www.fmcsa.dot.gov.

On August 1, 2017, the FMCSA began accepting Requests for Data Review (RDRs) into its Crash Preventability Demonstration Program through DataQs. Crashes eligible for the Crash Preventability Demonstration Program must have occured on or after June 1, 2017. The Crash Preventability Demonstration Program is expected to last a minimum of 24 months.

FMCSA’s safety programs use data from 3.5 million roadside inspections and 150,000 crashes each year to prioritize its enforcement resources on those motor carriers that pose the greatest safety risks on our Nation’s roads.

Studies show that crash involvement is a strong indicator of future crash risk. The Crash Preventability Demonstration Program allows FMCSA to gather data to examine the feasibility, costs, and benefits of making crash preventability determinations on certain crash types. FMCSA will use the information from the program to evaluate if these preventability determinations improve the Agency’s ability to identify the highest-risk motor carriers.

For more information on the Crash Preventability Demonstration Program, please visit:

A rulemaking meant to establish criteria and processes for instituting sleep apnea screening requirements for truck operators will officially be withdrawn on Monday, according to a notice issued Friday by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

A federal mandate requiring nearly all new Classes 7-8 tractors sold in the United States be equipment with electronic stability control systems has officially kicked in.

Initially announced in 2015, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has estimated the mandate will save up to 49 lives, prevent up to 1,759 crashes each year, and provide net economic benefits of more than $300 million annually.

Electronic stability control systems use sensors to anticipate possible rollover or loss-of-control events. The rule estimates the technology will add $600 to the cost of a new tractor, though some estimates have been a bit higher.

On August 1, 2017, the Agency will begin accepting Requests for Data Review (RDRs) into its Crash Preventability Demonstration Program through DataQs. Crashes eligible for the Crash Preventability Demonstration Program must have occured on or after June 1, 2017. The Crash Preventability Demonstration Program is expected to last a minimum of 24 months.

FMCSA’s safety programs use data from 3.5 million roadside inspections and 150,000 crashes each year to prioritize its enforcement resources on those motor carriers that pose the greatest safety risks on our Nation’s roads.

Studies show that crash involvement is a strong indicator of future crash risk. The Crash Preventability Demonstration Program allows FMCSA to gather data to examine the feasibility, costs, and benefits of making crash preventability determinations on certain crash types. FMCSA will use the information from the program to evaluate if these preventability determinations improve the Agency’s ability to identify the highest-risk motor carriers.

For more information on the Crash Preventability Demonstration Program, please visit:

More than 21 members of the U.S. House have signed on as co-sponsors to the bill that would delay the compliance date of the looming electronic logging device mandate. The bill, if enacted, would give drivers and carriers two extra years to adopt ELDs by pushing the compliance deadline to December 2019.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration confirmed on its website that the 2013 regulations on the 34-hour restart will not go back into effect, given the results of a study released this week.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has notified Congress that the required study of the those regs revealed they provided no safety benefit. The notification verified a DOT Inspector General notice issued last week on the study’s conclusions.